Squeeze film damping systems are advantageously applied to turbomachinery including gas turbine engines in order to damp undesirable radial motion of a rotor shaft of the device. In a typical squeeze film damping system, it is known to locate a film of oil in a thin annular space between the outer race of a rolling element bearing and a structural component. Vibratory or radial motion of the rotor shaft and its bearing generate hydrodynamic forces in the oil within the thin annular space for damping purposes. Although, the present inventions were developed for application in gas turbine engines there is contemplated that these inventions may also be utilized in other areas of technology.
It is recognized that there are a significant number of prior squeeze film damping systems. However, there are still needed further technical developments in the area of squeeze film damping systems. The present inventions satisfy this and other needs in a novel and unobvious way.